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The Chang School: Gateway Programs Website

Overview
Full redesign of the Gateway Program landing page, informed by user research, to improve clarity, usability, and content hierarchy for prospective learners.

            Role: UX Designer
            Scope: UX/UI design, research
            Client: The Raymond G. Chang School of Continuing Education,
            Toronto Metropolitan University


Context & Problem

To inform a redesign of the Gateway for International Professionals program page, initial research was conducted to better understand user perspectives, pain points, and the limitations of the existing design.

Key objectives included:

  • Improving access to and clarity of program information
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of existing copy and users’ comprehension of the offering
  • Identifying opportunities to enhance layout, hierarchy, and overall user experience

Right: Old website design
 

User Research

To inform the redesign, I conducted qualitative user research through semi-structured interviews and usability testing. Participants included both prospective leads and recent graduates of the program, ranging in age from 25 to 54. All leads had international backgrounds and previous experience in the healthcare sector. The research findings revealed key patterns which informed the design process.
Program Confidence: Most participants expressed a lack of confidence in the program itself. Interestingly, the website had minimal influence on shaping their confidence.

Visual Design: Many users commented on the absence of engaging visuals. The page lacked appealing imagery, graphics, and interactive media, making the experience feel static and uninspiring.

Navigation: The sidebar navigation caused confusion due to irrelevant or unrelated links. This disrupted the user journey and made it harder for users to find core information about the program.
Right: User testing session


Design Solutions

To address the key issues identified in the research phase, I redesigned multiple iterations of the Gateway Program landing page with a focus on clarity, trust-building, and improved user flow:

Simplified Page Structure: The content was reorganized to present key program information more clearly, reducing cognitive load and guiding users through a more intuitive, linear narrative.
Improved Navigation: The sidebar was removed in favor of in-page anchors and a cleaner top-down scroll, ensuring users stayed focused and didn’t get lost in unrelated links.
Visual Enhancements: New imagery was selected to reflect the professional and aspirational tone of the program. The layout was updated with stronger hierarchy and more breathing room, improving scan-ability and visual clarity.
Content Strategy: Copy was reviewed to improve tone, reduce jargon, and clarify the value proposition reinforcing the program’s credibility without overwhelming users.




Above: Various iterations of the design and cadence were created and presented to stakeholders

Final Design

The final version of the Gateway Program page reflects the research insights and iterative feedback gathered throughout the project.

The final design aims to increase user engagement and program clarity while positioning the Gateway Program as trustworthy and approachable for internationally trained healthcare professionals.



Results & Reflection

The redesign received positive internal feedback, with stakeholders noting improved clarity and user flow. This project strengthened my ability to apply research insights to real-world constraints and reinforced the value of iterative, user-informed design.


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